O.J. Simpson passed away this week after a battle with cancer. His legacy regarding his double murder trial remains. Click through to see which famous hosts, pundits and bloviators owe their careers to the trial of the century.
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Eliot Spitzer
When Mr. Spitzer was elected New York attorney general in 1999, he credited his victory to an appearance on CNBC's “Ribera Live.” The show, hosted by Geraldo Rivera, focused primarily on the O.J. Simpson trial. Spitzer then became governor of the Empire State in 2007, but his term ended a year later when he became embroiled in a prostitution scandal. In 2010, Spitzer joined CNN and anchored a short-lived talk show with journalist Kathleen Parker.
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nancy grace
The host of HLN's “Nancy Grace” broke out commentating on legal shows just as the OJ Simpson trial was beginning. She then hosted her own law show with Simpson's lawyer Johnnie Cochran. Grace has hosted her nightly celebrity news and current affairs show since 2005.
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Dan Abrams
Abrams was a reporter for Court TV when O.J. Simpson's trial began, and the exposure helped establish him as a top legal correspondent. He currently serves as ABC News' legal chief and has founded seven of his websites, including the popular media blog Mediaite.
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star jones
Jones, a former Brooklyn prosecutor, became chief legal analyst for Inside Edition, where he led coverage of the Simpson murder case. She was the only reporter to interview her O.J. during the civil trial. Jones later joined the original cast of ABC's daytime talk show “The View,” but following her public feud with executive producer Barbara Walters, she ended her career after nine seasons. He was dismissed from the board. Jones is currently working on the VH1 drama “Satan Sisters,” based on her book about the five female hosts of “The Lunch Hour.”
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david gregory
As a young NBC reporter, Gregory often filled in for Geraldo Rivera as host of the CNBC show “Rivera Live.” He eventually became the host of NBC's popular Sunday morning show “Meet the Press.” However, due to declining ratings, he was replaced by current host Chuck Todd. CNN announced in March that Gregory would become the network's political analyst.
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Greta Van Susteren
Van Susteren appeared regularly on CNN as a legal analyst during the Simpson murder trial and eventually had his own show aired on CNN. The “burden of proof” continued day after day during Simpson's civil trial, which Van Susteren has since expressed regret. She hosted “On the Record w/Greta Van Susteren” on FOX News, but she no longer works for the station.
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Janine Pirro
Pirro got his start as a talking head during the Simpson trial and became a regular on “Larry King Live” and “Rivera Live.” She appeared so frequently that a 2000 New York Times article called her “ubiquitous.” Pirro, a former prosecutor, judge and New York City elected official, currently co-hosts FOX News' “The Five.”
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Greg Jarrett
A former San Francisco trial lawyer, Jarrett turned to television in 1985, serving as a news anchor for ABC and NBC affiliates in Maryland. He then joined Court TV and was the main anchor for The Simpson Murder Trial, which was shot on location in Los Angeles in 1995. Jarrett is a legal analyst for FOX News.
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Jeffrey Tobin
Toobin, a lawyer, author and legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker, broke the story that O.J. Simpson's defense team was planning to play the “race card” by indicting Detective Simpson. Ta. Mark Fuhrman planting evidence. He won an Emmy Award in 2000 for his coverage of the Elian González custody scandal. And, oh yeah, FX's “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” is based on his book.
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Geraldo Rivera
Gerald was already a well-known name before the Simpson story became popular. But as the trial of the century began, he turned CNBC's nightly legal show “Rivera Live” into the O.J. recovered. Rivera continued to cover the Simpson story for several years between the criminal and civil trials, establishing himself as the go-to person for all things Simpson-related. His coverage of civil court decisions set an all-time record for his network's CNBC ratings for this emerging business in 1997. In 2001, Rivera transferred to Fox News.
harvey levin
Levin was a young television reporter at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles when he shot to fame thanks to his coverage of the Simpson murders. He launched the celebrity gossip site TMZ in 2005, and last month he recorded 18.4 million unique visitors.
